Ballroom Dancing
by jadedvixen
Summary: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise, her friendship and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish, Christian, Jericho and more.
1. The Promise

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Possible swearing in future chapters.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: As usual, would love it. Let me know specifically what you loved, or if applicable, what you didn't love. Just let me know people!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita knew she'd say yes.  
  
There was no way in the world she could ever say no to him. Especially when he looked at her with those big, beautiful green eyes, with his bottom lip trembling ever so slightly. He knew exactly how to get to her.   
  
"Please Li? I really need your help. You're my only hope!"  
  
She laughed softly, and reached out to ruffle his multi-coloured hair. "Alright, Princess Leia, alright. I'll help you."  
  
Jeff's pleading look immediately brightened into a wide smile. He jumped up from the chair he was sitting at, and wrapped the redhead in a tender hug. "Thanks heaps Li."  
  
As he sat back down, Lita smiled warmly at Jeff across the table they were sitting at. "No worries, Jeff. But you do realize this means you owe me one now. A very big one." She continued eating the pancakes that sat in front of her.  
  
"Yeah, that's cool. Anything you want. Just - thanks again for helping me out with this. It means alot." Sending her one more smile, Jeff finished off the food sitting on his plate.  
  
Lita looked up at him, watching him eat his bacon and eggs, and sip on his glass of orange juice. God, even eating breakfast he looked gorgeous. Was there any time of day when this man was not irresistible? The worst thing was that, being his best friend, she spent the most time around him. And of course, with the way that she felt for him, this made things extremely awkward and difficult for her.  
  
And what did she just agree to do then? Spend even more time around him! She agreed to teach him how to dance. Worse than just that, she agreed to teach him how to dance - so that he could take Trish Stratus out dancing... on a date.  
  
Lita groaned inwardly at her own stupidity. She needed to grow up, and stop pining after Jeff Hardy like a little school girl with a crush. To him, Lita was like a sister. Nothing more, nothing less. His heart belonged to Trish. It had for a long time. It was just too bad that Trish hadn't seen that yet...  
  
"So, are you doing anything tonight?"  
  
Lita looked up at the sound of Jeff's voice. "No, I'm free."  
  
He smiled. "Great. Do you mind if I come over, and we can get started already? The sooner I learn it all, the sooner I can ask Trish out."  
  
Lita watched sadly as Jeff's eyes lit up when he said Trish's name. That was always his reaction to the petite blonde. He's eyes would sparkle, and he'd stumble over his words.. Lita only wished that she could make Jeff feel the same way about her.  
  
"Yeah, that's fine. Come over mine about sevenish, kay?"   
  
Jeff nodded excitedly as he finished eating his breakfast, getting up from the cafe` table. "No worries. I gotta get going, I got some things to do before we get started." Before leaving, he kissed Lita gently on her forehead, and waved goodbye as he walked out of the cafe`. "I'll see you tonight!"  
  
Lita waved in return, and continued eating her meal. Why did she put herself through this? She knew that teaching Jeff how to dance was a big mistake. But she couldn't resist the offer of spending more time alone with him. She groaned loudly as she closed her eyes, and dropped her head onto the table.  
  
"Well, it looks like someone's had a good start to the day."  
  
Still keeping her head on the table, she turned her head slightly and opened one eye. After she realized who it was that was standing over her, she closed her eyes once more groaned again.  
  
Edge sat down next to her, tucking his long, blonde hair behind his ears. "Uh oh. This is serious stuff, right?" He placed a hand on her back comfortingly. "What's up Red?"  
  
The redhead lifted her head up from the table top, and pulled a perfect pout at Edge. "I'm an idiot. That's what's up."  
  
Edge chuckled slightly. "Ooh, Li. Please, you are not an idiot." He touched her chin lightly. "Why in the world would you say that?"  
  
Lita sighed deeply, thankful that Edge came along and joined her. Otherwise she probably would've sat at the table by herself, keeping everything inside. At least now she got to talk to one of her closest friends about what was bothering her.  
  
"I told Jeff I'd teach him how to dance."  
  
Edge's eyes widened a little at first, and his lips twitched slightly. Then he suddenly burst into a deep and hearty laugh. "Oh, no wonder you're upset!" He laughed some more, causing other people at surrounding tables to turn and look at the pair. "You, you mean... proper dancing? Like - ballroom dancing?" The blonde canadian continued to laugh.  
  
"Yeah --"  
  
"--Oh! Oh! Classic! Jeff Hardy learning to ballroom dance.. oh, I SO have to be there for this!"  
  
"Edge. That's not what I'm upset about. I'm looking forward to actually teaching Jeff to dance. It's more why he wants to learn that has me feeling stupid." Lita explained, running a hand through her hair.  
  
Edge's laughter slowly died down. "Okay, why does he want to learn?"  
  
"Trish."  
  
"Trish?"  
  
"He wants to take her out dancing." She paused. "Like on a date!"  
  
Edge exhaled. He knew exactly how Jeff felt about Trish, and he also knew how Lita felt for Jeff. It was a situation that he didn't like very much at all. Lita had been in love with Jeff for quite some time now. Mostly everyone on the roster knew of the redhead's feelings - even Matt Hardy did - yet she had promised them not to tell Jeff anything. She was sure that his feelings for her were only on a brother/sister level, and nothing more. So the poor thing spent alot her time wishing she was with him, while trying to play the sister figure to him. It was heartbreaking to see.  
  
And when it came to Jeff and Trish - things didn't get any happier. The blonde diva was nice enough, but she simply didn't reciprocate Jeff's feelings. Edge knew for a fact that she had her eyes on Christian. Yet the youngest Hardy just wouldn't give up. He was sure that if he could just prove himself to Trish, she'd fall head over heels for him.  
  
It was a lose - lose situation for everyone involved.  
  
Edge patted Lita's hand. "Are you going to be able to teach him? I mean - can you handle it?"  
  
"I'm going to have to handle it, aren't I?" She looked at her friend with sad eyes. "He's my best friend Edge, and he needs me. Just because I'm in... just because of the way I feel about him, I can't refuse to help him, can I?"  
  
Without waiting for Edge to reply, Lita got up from the table, pulling some money from her pocket and placing it on the table top.   
  
"I'm going to go home and get ready. Maybe eat alot of ice cream or something equally as therapeutic." She smiled gently at the blonde canadian as she left him sitting at the table.  
  
Edge shook his head as he watched the red head walk away towards her car in the parking lot. He knew one thing for certain. These dancing lessons sure would be interesting. 


	2. The Waltz

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Possible swearing in future chapters.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: I love those reviews! I need my daily review fix! I swear, it's become an addiction.. hehe. Just let me know what you thought, and I'll be a happy Cathie!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
6:50 pm.  
  
Lita had been ready for hours. As soon as she arrived home from the cafe`, she cleaned her small house, making it presentable yet comfortable. Sure, Jeff had been there many times before - but she felt this unexplainable urge to make everything look... perfect ...for tonight.  
  
After she finished cleaning her house, she stepped into the shower and cleaned herself. Washing her hair, scrubbing her skin, shaving and plucking and all other sorts of things that a woman does to make herself look beautiful. Of course, the majority of those things hurt like hell - but hey, anything in the name of vanity, right?  
  
Lita looked at herself in the mirror. She had a small amount of make up on. Just enough to conceal anything that needed concealing, while giving her a glowing, natural look. She ran her fingers through her hair, and sighed. Normally she didn't care about looking beautiful. She made it a point to not care. With her, what you see is what you get. That's the way it had always been. But tonight - for some reason, she simply wanted to look her best for Jeff.  
  
She glanced in the mirror again, smoothing out her plain white tank top and adjusting her denim shorts, fitting them to sit casually on her waist. It had taken her ages to decide what to wear. Something casual, yet attractive. She tried on at least ten different outfits, before deciding on what she was wearing... the simplest one.  
  
Lita's thoughts were interrupted by the musical chimes of her doorbell. Her heart skipped a beat. Damn it, she hated when that happened! Why did he have such a strong, gripping effect on her? Why did her heart race, her knees turn weak, her breath catch in her throat when Jeff was around?  
  
She quickly made her way to the front door, and paused just before opening it. She closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath, hoping it would calm her down. Then, she opened her eyes and turned the handle, opening the door.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hi Jeff."  
  
She felt her whole body turn into jello. He was standing at her doorstep, looking as adorable as ever. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans, wearing an old 2001 Survivor Series t-shirt. His multi-coloured hair was tied back, a blue bandana gracing his forehead to keep the small wisps of hair from falling into his face. Ah, his face. Lita's eyes traced over his familiar features, taking in the bright green eyes, and the friendly smirk sitting on his lips. Lita sighed as she led him in. Tonight wasn't going to be easy.  
  
"How are you?" She asked softly, as they sat down on her couch.  
  
He turned to her, and smiled. "Yeah, good. Looking forward to tonight. I can't wait to wow Trish with my dancing skills." Jeff gave a small chuckle.  
  
Lita's heart beat faster. She was looking forward to tonight as well - but for completely different reasons.  
  
"And you?"  
  
"Um, yeah, alright."  
  
A silence fell upon the two friends, both feeling the strange tension in the air - though Lita was the only one who knew why it was there in the first place.  
  
"Well, are we going to get started?" Jeff asked, eyebrows raised in question.  
  
Lita nodded. "Yeah, yeah." They both stood up from the couch, and made their way to the middle of the living room. She took in a deep breath, and pushed her hair behind her ears. "Okay, what dance step did you want to start with?"  
  
Jeff shrugged. "The easiest one?" He let out a soft chuckle. "I don't know. I'm here because I know absolutely nothing about dancing. I'm just glad that my best friend happens to be an experienced dancer."  
  
Lita smiled gently. "A few competitions in highschool is hardly 'experienced', Jeff."  
  
"Hey, you know what you're doing. That's good enough for me."  
  
She laughed, then thought about what step would be good to start Jeff on. She thought back to her time in highschool, when she had taken ballroom dancing classes. She had started with the classic Waltz first. When she managed that, she found that her love for dancing had blossomed. From then on, she even competed in professional dances. After highschool, her dancing just seemed to slip away from her. She never had the time anymore - especially when she began training to wrestle.  
  
"We should probably start with the proper position, first. Once we get that down pat, we can start on the actual dancing steps." Lita stated.  
  
Jeff nodded. "Okay. Dancing positions. I can do that." He looked at Lita steadily. "Um, how do we start?"  
  
Lita beckoned Jeff to step closer to her with her hands. She reached out for him, holding him by the waist. "Um, I need you to stand here. Just like that." She let go of his hips, and looked down at his feet. "Now, I want you to move your feet so that you could step between my feet." She looked up at him. "Am I making sense?"  
  
Jeff nodded, then looked down at his feet as he spaced them apart slightly. "Like that?"  
  
"Great." Lita smiled warmly at him. She bit her lip nervously. "Now, uh, we need to make sure your right half and my right half are touching." They both moved towards each other, closing the gap that stood between their two bodies. "The contact should start from our thighs.. all the way up here." She pointed at her chest.  
  
Jeff pressed himself a little closer. "Okay, check." He smiled widely at her. "Next step."  
  
Lita almost melted at that moment. Being so close to Jeff, and him smiling at her like that. God, she had to keep focused. She was teaching Jeff how to dance, nothing more. She was helping him so he could be with Trish. Not her.  
  
Lita reached down, and clasped Jeff's left hand in her right. She brought their hands up. "Your left to my right hand. Palm to palm. Make sure your fingers and thumb are closed around my hand."  
  
Jeff closed his fingers over Lita's hand, and Lita felt the butterflies inside her stomach flutter from his touch. She barely managed to speak the next instruction. "Your right hand should rest on my back, just on the shoulder blade or a bit below."   
  
Jeff placed his right hand over Lita's left shoulder, letting his hand touch her shoulder. "Like that?" His brow furrowed with concentration as Lita shook her head.  
  
"No, not like that. Under my arm." Jeff slipped his hand under Lita's arm, his hand cupping her shoulder blade gently. "That's right." She looked up at Jeff. "You're doing great." Then she placed her left hand and forearm over Jeff's right arm, resting her hand on his forearm. "We're done! This is called the 'Closed Position'. Jeff, you've just learnt you're very first ballroom dancing position."  
  
Jeff smiled at her proudly. "Cool. That wasn't so hard, hey?"  
  
Lita laughed. "No, it wasn't. Now, we move on to the actual dancing steps. I think we should start with the Waltz. It's a classic, and you shouldn't find it too difficult to pick up."  
  
He nodded. "The Waltz. Okay, no worries."  
  
Still in the closed position, Lita began to instruct Jeff on how to move to the Waltz. Showing him the right foot movements, and counting in time with him so that he learned the beat. He picked up quite quickly, only stepping on her feet twice.  
  
"Sorry about that." Jeff sheepishly apologised after trodding on Lita's toes.  
  
"It's okay Jeff. You're doing really well." She smiled, her hazel eyes twinkling. "I think you're a natural at this." She turned her gaze away from him, watching their foot movements and counting out the beat once more. God, it was so hard being like this with him. She kept wanting to lean in and press her lips against his... Every time he smiled at her, every time he tightened his grip on her, every time they moved together. This was driving her insane.  
  
And they'd only just started. There was going to be many more lessons. He needed to be able to do the Waltz perfectly. And after that? He might even want to learn more steps. Like the Foxtrot, or the Quick step.. Oh my God! Lita's heart pounded in her chest as she came to a realization. Jeff might even want to learn the Tango! There was no way in the world she could teach him the Tango - the dance of love - and NOT go insane from trying to control herself.  
  
Lita breathed evenly as she tried to concentrate her thoughts on the dance steps, and the beat of the music.  
  
Jeff watched Lita as she counted out the beat, and watched their feet step from side to side. She was amazing for helping him out with this. Giving up her free time just to teach him how to dance. He really was glad she was by his side.. not just with this whole dancing thing, but everything. She was always there for him, through everything. Everything that happened to him in the WWE - the thing with Matt, his rivalry against Rob Van Dam, his heart stopping matches against the Undertaker; everything. She'd been by his side through it all. And now she was even helping him win over Trish. She was going above and beyond the duty of a best friend.  
  
He smiled to himself as he thought about how good at dancing he'd be after his lessons with Lita. Then he could take Trish out somewhere nice, like he'd been wanting to do for months now. His feelings for Trish had plagued him for months on end. The pretty little blonde was always in his thoughts. She was gorgeous. Her smile drove him mad. He'd told the blonde diva of his feelings, but she'd rejected him. Jeff knew that after these dancing lessons, she'd see him in a different light. He'd take her out, and they'd have some dinner, and then do a bit of dancing. Wouldn't she be impressed when she found out he could Waltz? And then maybe Lita could teach him some other steps. Jeff's eyes widened as a thought suddenly entered his mind. He wondered if Lita knew how to Tango...? 


	3. The Trouble

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Possible swearing in future chapters.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: I love those reviews! I need my daily review fix! I swear, it's become an addiction.. hehe. Just let me know what you thought, and I'll be a happy Cathie!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Trish Stratus smiled slightly to herself as she turned the hallway corner of the arena. She was on her way to see Christian. The blonde canadian had agreed to help her learn some new moves and techniques. She had asked for his help as she decided she needed to learn some new and fresh ideas if she wanted to stay ontop of the women's competition.  
  
Jazz and Victoria were both tough competitors, both strong and talented. Trish knew that she had improved greatly in her wrestling skills since joining the WWE, but compared to Jazz and Victoria, she was still very much an amatuer. Which was why she came to the conclusion that she needed to ask another superstar for some help.  
  
Of course, her choice of Christian for help was slightly biased. The small blonde had more than friendly feelings for him, so he was the first one she asked for help. Trish was extremely pleased when Christian happily agreed to help her. He told her that it would be 'his pleasure'. She was sure that he felt something for her in return.. there was just this special kind of feeling in the air whenever they talked to each other. Trish couldn't describe it, but it was there.   
  
"Hey Trish! Wait up!"  
  
Trish stopped walking, and sighed softly. She really just wanted to get to Christian's room. She recognised the voice that had called out to her instantly. She turned to face him. "What's up Jeff?"  
  
Jeff Hardy ran up beside her, still in his ring attire. His body paint was smudged from the match he'd been in earlier that night, and his hair was tied back loosely. As he sidled up beside Trish, he looked over at her and smiled brightly.  
  
"What?" Trish asked him, beginning to walk towards Christian's locker room again. The way Jeff was smiling at her was making her feel uncomfortable. She knew about the youngest Hardy brother's feelings for her. He'd made them more than clear on a number of occasions. And every time she had told him that she simply wasn't interested. Jeff just wasn't her 'type'. Yet he still continued to pursue her.  
  
"Oh, uh, nothing. Listen, I was just wondering... if you weren't doing anything tonight, maybe we could go out for some drinks or something?" Jeff looked at her hopefully. "You know, celebrate your win over Victoria tonight?"  
  
Trish stopped walking again, and groaned inwardly. Would he ever get the message? She'd done everything but proclaim her love for Christian to him. Maybe that's what she'd have to do, sooner or later. Maybe then Jeff Hardy would understand that she simply didn't want to be with him. She turned to the youngest Hardy brother. "Jeff, that's really sweet of you. But I've actually made other plans already." She patted his arm gently. "Sorry. Maybe another time, okay?"  
  
The blonde diva smiled softly at Jeff, and continued on her way down the hallway. Jeff stood in his place, watching her walk away from him. "Yeah, sure!" He called back to her, then his voice dropped to that of a whisper. " Another time." He continued to watch Trish walk down the hall, until she turned a corner and he was left watching an empty hallway.  
  
Jeff sighed, exhaling deeply. He leant against the wall, closed his eyes, and slid down to the floor. Trish always had 'some other plans' when it came to him. She never seemed to want to spend any time with him. During Invasion, Jeff was sure there was something between him and Trish. There was so much chemistry, so much feeling between them. But as soon as he began to pursue her, she brushed him off.  
  
He knew that if she would just give him a chance, he could prove that they would be great together. Just because they were different didn't mean things couldn't work out. Opposite's attract, right? Isn't that what everyone always says? Opposite's attract. So why was Trish repelling from him?  
  
"You awake down there?"  
  
Jeff opened his eyes slowly, and was greeted by the sight of Lita standing over him. The redhead smiled at him, and sat down beside him.  
  
"What's up sweetie?" She asked, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she looked at Jeff.  
  
"Oh, you know." Jeff replied, looking over at his best friend. "Trish troubles."  
  
Lita felt her stomach clench. The last thing she felt like doing was counselling Jeff on Trish Stratus. Over the past few months, Lita found it incredibly hard giving Jeff advice on the blonde diva and how to win her heart, when all she wanted was Jeff for herself.  
  
"Ah." Lita said knowingly, nodding her head. "Did you ask her out again?"  
  
"Yep. And I got turned down. Again." Jeff said dejectedly, hunching his shoulders. "What am I doing wrong here, Li? Why doesn't she want me?"  
  
Lita slipped her arm around Jeff's shoulders, and hugged him tightly. "I don't know, Jeff. She's crazy though, to turn you down like she is." Lita tucked a strand of blue hair that fell into Jeff's face behind his ear. "If I had a guy like you chasing after me, I'd be the happiest woman in the world."  
  
Jeff laughed softly. "No you wouldn't! You'd be running scared!" He leant his head on her shoulder, and Lita stroked his head gently. She realised that he still had his body paint on, and that now it would be all over her clean clothes... but she didn't care. Jeff needed her now, and that was much more important than keeping her clothes clean.  
  
Lita chuckled in response, still stroking his head. "Maybe." No, she thought to herself. I wouldn't. I would be extremely happy. If only you were chasing after me instead of her... "Listen, Jeff.. what do you say you go take a shower and get changed? Then we'll go out, grab something to eat and maybe a movie. After that, we'll go back to my place and just hang out. What do you say?"  
  
Jeff lifted his head off Lita's shoulder and looked at her. This woman was amazing. She knew exactly how to make him feel better when he was down. He was extremely lucky to have her in his life. She was the best friend he'd ever had. "That'd be great, Li."  
  
The two friends stood up, and linked hands as they made their way towards Jeff's locker room. "Just one thing, though." Jeff asked.  
  
Lita turned to Jeff, smiling. "Anything."   
  
At Jeff's next words, Lita felt her heart jump to her throat.  
  
"Can you teach me how to Tango after the movie?" 


	4. The Alcohol

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Possible swearing in future chapters.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: It's always, and I do mean always, welcome. ^_^  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Dinner and the movie had been wonderful. Just the two of them, together, enjoying themselves. No worries, no hassles, and best of all... no Trish.  
  
Lita felt the ball of nervousness in her stomach wash away with each passing moment as there was no mention of Trish Stratus at all. Jeff never even mentioned her name, making Lita feel all the more comfortable and at ease. She had nothing against the blonde diva, really. Just hearing Jeff talk about her all the time, and how much he wanted to be with her, made Lita highly uncomfortable.  
  
Lita's comfort level was completely disrupted as they drove back towards her place after dinner and the movie. "So, are you going to teach me the Tango once we get back to your house?"  
  
She grimaced slightly at his words, watching as Jeff kept his eyes on the road. No way in the world she'd be able to teach him how to Tango. Not without going insane first, anyway.  
  
"Uh, Jeff.. we've only just started. I think you need to learn alot more before we can move onto more complex steps like the Tango." She quickly added, "Not that you aren't doing well, because you are. You're picking up everything really quickly. But the Tango is so difficult to learn..."  
  
Jeff sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It is pretty complicated, isn't it?" He was silent for a moment, before speaking once more, turning the wheel as he spoke. "I should probably concentrate on perfecting my Waltz."  
  
Lita let out a breath of relief. "That's probably the best way to go."  
  
The drive passed quickly, and it wasn't long until they had arrived at Lita's house. As Lita fumbled for her keys in her bag, Jeff held the screen door open for her.  
  
"So, what do you want to do for the rest of the night?"  
  
Finding her keys, Lita replied. "Whatever. We could play monopoly?" Her keys jingled as she out them into the lock, turning it to open the door.  
  
The two friends entered the house, shutting the front door behind them. Lita walked over to her table stand, immediately checking her answering machine. Noticing the little beeping red light, she looked at Jeff from over her shoulder. "Looks like someone loves me."  
  
He smiled as he sat back onto her couch, watching her as she pressed the play button on the answering machine.  
  
"Hey Li. It's Chris. I'm just calling to see how you are... Edge told me about what you're doing. Your poor thing. I honestly don't know why you put yourself through all that crap when you've got me! Call me back soon sweetie."  
  
Lita froze, her back still to Jeff. Goddamn, she was caught out. No, wait. She could lie to him. Pretend Chris was talking about something else, and not about her putting herself through hell with Jeff, still lingering for him, when she knew he didn't feel the same way towards her. Yes, that's what she'd do. She'd lie.  
  
She turned back to face Jeff. He sat, his head crooked slightly, a confused yet concerned frown playing on his face. "What was that all about? What crap are you putting yourself through?"  
  
Unable to think of anything plausible, Lita stuttered. "Uh, nothing." She walked into her kitchen quickly, hoping to avoid the subject. Instead, Jeff simply got up from the couch and followed her into the room.  
  
"If you're in some kind of trouble..." He paused, shaking his head. "Why haven't you told me anything? Jericho obviously knows.. and he said that he found out from Edge? Why haven't you told me?"  
  
The redheaded diva closed the fridge door, and faced her best friend. "Jeff, I'm not in any kind of trouble, okay? There is nothing to tell. I swear to you, if I had something worth telling, you'd be the first to hear about it, okay?"  
  
Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Jeff shrugged. Lita sighed, and opened the fridge door once more. "Did you want a beer?"  
  
"Yeah, please."  
  
She handed him his beer bottle, and they walked back out into the lounge room. Sitting comfortably on the couch, Lita reached out to the television remote, and pressed the green button. The screen in front of them came to life with images and sounds. Some request music video show was on, and Jeff must've known the song playing at the time, because he began to sing along immediately. Lita didn't know the tune herself, but hey. Her and Jeff had the same tastes in music, among many other things. Listening to him sing along to the song, her mind began to wander.  
  
This was what she liked. Sitting beside him, the sides of their arms touching, but just barely. Sipping on some beer, watching some television... together. Just the two of them. She looked over at him through the corner of her eye, and smiled despite her hardest try to keep a straight face.  
  
"What?"  
  
Damn, he must've caught her. That boy was quick, she had to give him that. How he could be so perceptive and notice when she was looking at him, yet not be perceptive enough to realise WHY she was looking at him never failed to amaze the redhead.  
  
"Nothing. I was just, um, trying to decide what we're going to do for the rest of the night."  
  
"Oh." He paused. "Didn't you mention monopoly before?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"I think... I win."  
  
Lita threw the dice down roughly, frowning at the board game in front of her. "You..." She paused, having to think about her next words carefully. "...always win, Jeff!"  
  
Jeff chuckled from his position on the floor, across from his best friend. Well, it started as a chuckle. Then it ended up in an all-out roar of laughter. He looked around at the lounge room as his laughing slowly stopped, him wiping his eyes from the tears. Empty beer bottles littered the floor - at least 12 of them - and two shot glasses stood next to a half empty bottle of bourbon. And to think it had all started with just a bottle of beer each...  
  
Lita knew she was drunk. She knew it. She felt all the usual symptoms. The light headedness. The rumbly feeling in her stomach. The willingness to spill all her deep, dark secrets. The uncontrollable urge to just get up and kiss Jeff.. Oh, and the fact that she could hardly talk or walk. Yep. She was drunk alright.  
  
"Can I have another beer?" Jeff asked, trying desperately to rise from his position on the floor, but tripping over his feet. After a few tries of trying to stand, he kept himself planted firmly on the carpeted floor.  
  
"I think you've had quite enough to drink tonight, my dear Jeffrey."  
  
Jeff grabbed the nearly empty bottle of bourbon that stood next to him. "Look at this!" He slurred, waving the bottle around wildly. "It's not empty! So OBVIOUSLY, I haven't had enough!"  
  
Lita pointed her finger at the Hardy brother, clucking her tongue. "Well, finish that first. Then, maybe, you can have another beer."  
  
The redheaded diva looked on in shock as Jeff nodded at her words, and downed the remaining contents of the bottle quickly, throwing the liquid down his throat. Putting the bottle down on the carpet, he looked at Lita, his eyes hazy. "Now can I have another beer?"  
  
Raising her eyebrow at him, Lita carefully stood up. Stumbling to the kitchen, she pulled another two beers from the fridge. Her movement was slow and clumsy, and her head was starting to hurt. Maybe she wouldn't have anymore to drink... she placed one bottle back into the fridge, and headed out to give Jeff his bottle.  
  
"I don't think you should have anymore." She handed him his bottle. "Really, I don't."  
  
Jeff stretched out his arms, beer bottle in one hand. "Look at me, Li. Do I look drunk to you?"  
  
Lita studied him carefully for a moment, then nodded enthusiastically. "Yep. You do."  
  
"Well, I don't feel drunk." Jeff gestured, waving his free hand in the air to prove his point. Jeff then paused, swaying slightly as he sat. He crawled over to the redhead, taking gulps from his beer as he did so. "Lita." He purred, slinging his arm around her. "My dear Lita. My BEST friend in the whole wide world."  
  
She grinned drunkenly, sliding her arm across his waist as he pressed himself close to her. "You're my best friend too, Jeff."  
  
"You know I love you, right?" Jeff proclaimed, his face right next to hers. She could feel his hot, moist breath on her cheek. She bit her lip, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Her heart began to beat faster, her pulse began to race. Mouth dry, breaths quickening. Sweaty palms, rolling stomach. Lita suddenly became aware that Jeff's hand was resting on her thigh. These feelings weren't because she was drunk. These feelings weren't an effect of the alcohol. This was all real. This was all because of the way she felt about Jeff. Was he feeling these things as well?  
  
"Good." He smiled widely. "Good. Because I have a favour to ask you."  
  
"Anything Jeff, anything."  
  
Taking a swig from his beer bottle, Jeff continued. "Can you talk to Trish for me? You know, find out of she's seeing anybody? Find out why she won't go out with me? Put in a good word for me, or something?"  
  
Lita felt her heart plummet quickly into her stomach. She threw Jeff's arm off her shoulder, and stood up quickly, balancing herself well. "Goddamn!" She frowned at the man, who still sat on the living room floor, looking up at her in drunk confusion. "I can't believe you! Can't you go one night, just ONE night, without thinking about that blonde?" She shook her head angrily, and stormed off into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.  
  
Jeff stood from the floor, sitting up on the couch. He stared into the hallway that Lita had walked into, confusion and hurt playing on his face. Why had she yelled at him like that? What had he done wrong? He was just asking her for a favour? If she didn't want to do it, she could've said no, right?  
  
Lost in his own thoughts, Jeff didn't notice that Lita had re-appeared, standing at the hallway entrance. "You're blind, Jeff. Do you know that?" She wiped away a single tear that fell onto her cheek, sniffing softly as she did so. "You are so blind..."  
  
Throwing his head up to look at her, Jeff spoke, suddenly sober. "What do you mean, blind?"  
  
After a heavy silence, she merely shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing." She gave a sigh, and disappeared back into the hallway. She came back out, tossing Jeff a blanket and a pillow. "Here. Sleep on the couch. You can go home in the morning." She turned around. "Good night."  
  
Jeff grabbed the pillow and blanket, lying down on the couch and settling himself in. He stared up at the ceiling as he listened to Lita tread down the hallway, and reach her bedroom. He listened as she closed her door softly behind her, and he strained his hearing so that he could just make out the sound of her sliding into bed.  
  
Why had she gotten so upset? Everything was going fine, until she just snapped! Did he do anything to set it off? Had he done something wrong? Said something wrong? No, no. All he could think of was that he asked her his favour about Trish... but that couldn't be it, could it? Jeff rubbed his forehead, frowning. But wait. She did say something about Trish, didn't she? Something about him talking about the 'blonde'...  
  
Goddamn. His head hurt. And he wasn't too sure if it was all because of the alcohol. 


	5. The Morning After

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Possible swearing in future chapters.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Love it. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you want to see more of.. tell me anything!! Just tell me! ^_^ Please?  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Jeff opened his eyes slowly, adjusting them to the bright sunlight that fell into the room. He lifted a hand up to his forehead, rubbing it carefully. Damn, he was hurting. His head was throbbing, and it felt like it was going to explode.  
  
Then came the nausea.  
  
Jeff felt horrible, lying back on the couch. Trying not to move, he looked around at where he was. Lita's house. Lita's house? What the hell was he doing at Lita's house? He turned his head slightly, trying to ignore the pain that shot through his head, and his eyes fell onto the empty beer bottles that littered the floor.  
  
Oh. Now he remembered.  
  
Images from the night before came flooding into his head. Dinner, the movie, he remembered those fine. After they got home, there was a game of monopoly, he remembered that vividly. And after that, things just got blurry.  
  
Still trying to focus himself to recall more about the previous night, Jeff heard Lita's voice nearby. Looking over at the other side of the room, he saw the redhead standing by the window, the cordless phone in her hands.  
  
Jeff watched as she looked out the window, the bright morning sun streaming onto her face. How could she look so beautiful after that night, when Jeff felt like such crap? Did she have as much to drink as him? He wasn't quite sure, but either way, she looked gorgeous. Her flaming red hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, a few stray strands lying on her face. She was wearing a plain, white tee-shirt that fitted her curves wonderfully, and some baggy black pants that sat on her hips.  
  
With the sunlight on her, giving her a glowing appearance, Jeff suddenly realised how heavenly Lita was. He'd been best friends with this woman for years, and he certainly wasn't blind. He knew that she was a stunner - she had half the guys on the roster chasing after her to prove that. But it had never really hit him before just how gorgeous she was.  
  
Looking her up and down, it was then that Jeff noticed the look on Lita's face. She was staring out the window, her eyes glassy and dull. She wasn't smiling.. actually it looked like she had a frown on her face.  
  
Paying more attention now, Jeff listened to what she was saying to whoever was on the phone. From the expression on her face, Jeff began to feel sick. Maybe something was wrong? Maybe someone was hurt? He focused on her words, and listened intently.  
  
"I know, I know. But I just can't help it."  
  
She paused, running her free hand through her long ponytail, and nodding her head.  
  
"Have you ever tried to control your feelings? To stop feeling the way you do? It doesn't matter if you know it's wrong or hopeless. You can't just stop, Chris."  
  
Chris? Jeff frowned. She was talking to Jericho? He vaguely remembered that Chris had left Lita a message earlier that night. She must've been calling him back... Jeff kept listening, still laying on the couch. Maybe they would talk about that 'crap' Lita was going through that Chris had mentioned in the message..  
  
Lita's voice went harsh. "Don't say that! God, just because you don't understand --"  
  
A pause again. Obviously Jericho had interrupted her.  
  
" -- no, no! You listen to me. I'm thankful that you guys care about me and worry about me, okay? I really am. But please don't lecture me on the way I feel! I can't just stop -- Stop saying that! I can't -- Oh, Chris."  
  
Jeff watched in shock as Lita began to cry. First it was only a few tears that trickled down her cheeks, but soon it had turned into her sobbing hard and fast, unable to continue talking.  
  
"No.. I have to go. Stop saying that, please, Chris. I can't listen to this right now. Jeff's lying here on the couch asleep, and he could wake up any minute." She paused, trying to control her sobs. "I've gotta go."  
  
Lita hung up the phone quickly, putting it down hard on the table stand beside her. She was shaking, cupping her hands to her mouth to try and muffle the sound of her sobbing. Still staring out the window, she cried. She didn't stop. And she kept shaking. Her whole body was quivering...  
  
Jeff couldn't stand watching anymore. Slowly he sat up and swung his legs over to the floor, groaning softly at the wave of nausea that swept through his body. He stood up carefully, holding his stomach.  
  
Lita looked over at him, eyes wide. She wiped away her tears quickly, sniffling as she did so. "Jeff. You're awake." She walked over towards him, her arms folded across her chest tightly. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Never mind how I'm feeling." Jeff said quietly, reaching over and wiping at a lone tear that made it's way down her face. "What's wrong sweetie?"  
  
The redhead turned away, looking down at the floor. "Nothing."  
  
"If there's nothing wrong, then why are you crying?"  
  
Lita let out a deep breath. "I'm just.. not feeling too well, that's all."  
  
Jeff sighed harshly. "That's not all, Li." He shook his head. "What are you hiding from me?"  
  
Lita looked back up at the man standing in front of her, a slight frown playing on her face. What?" She stepped closer towards Jeff. "I'm not hiding anything from yo--"  
  
"Don't." He paused. "Please, don't lie to me. If there's something you don't want to tell me, fine. But please, just don't lie to me."  
  
Lita stared at Jeff, blinking slowly as the tears appeared in her eyes once again. She tried to speak, tried to reply to him, but found no words would come out of her mouth. She simply couldn't think of anything to say to him.  
  
"Look, I know something's going on." Jeff said forcefully, his head still throbbing from the after effects of all the alcohol he had. "I heard that message Jericho left you last night. And I heard that phonecall you just had with him two minutes ago."  
  
At that comment, Lita opened her mouth to speak, but Jeff simply kept talking.  
  
"And now, after hearing you talk to Chris about whatever's going on, I see you crying. Obviously, Lita, this is something big. Something that affects you. And for some reason which I can't even imagine, you don't want to tell me anything about it."  
  
"Jeff, I want to tell you. I really do.. but I can't."  
  
"You can't?" Jeff asked incredulously, frowning fiercely. "You can't tell me? I'm your best friend!!" Jeff walked over and grabbed his keys from the coffee table. "At least I thought I was."  
  
"Where are you going?" Lita asked desperately, watching the Hardy make his way towards the front door.  
  
Jeff paused at the door, turning back to face Lita. He looked at the woman standing before him. Her hazel eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him. His heart broke seeing her so upset. But he couldn't stick around and be lied to.   
  
"I don't know."  
  
Jeff opened the front door, and left Lita behind. As he climbed into his car, turning on the engine, he thought about where exactly he was going. He didn't want to go back home - there was nothing to do there but sit by himself and mope. He didn't want to go out anywhere - he just wasn't in the mood to be out in public.  
  
Driving along the road, it hit Jeff where he could go. To see someone who could give him some answers. Someone who wouldn't lie to him about what was going on.  
  
Chris Jericho. 


	6. The Confrontation

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Possible swearing in future chapters.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Love it. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you want to see more of.. tell me anything!! Just tell me! ^_^ Please?  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
How he loved his days off.  
  
Yes, wrestling was his passion, there was no denying that. He lived, breathed, walked, talked and ate wrestling - usually all at once. If he didn't have wrestling in his life, he wouldn't know what to do. But sometimes, every now and then, it was just nice to get away from it, and take some time to relax. This was one of those times.  
  
Chris Jericho stretched out on his couch, sitting in front of his wide screen television. His legs were resting on top of his wooden coffee table, his arms folded behind his head. The blonde canadian smiled lazily as he watched a hockey game on the screen in front of him. Ah, hockey. It would have to be the second best sport in the world - after wrestling, of course. Chris sighed contently as he watched the action on the screen. He didn't have much else planned for today besides vegging out in front of the television, eating whatever he wanted and watching whatever he wanted.   
  
As he got up from the couch to grab some food from the kitchen, Chris heard a car door slam in his front yard. He paused, and listened. Sure enough, he could hear heavy footsteps on his front path, growing closer towards his front door. He frowned slightly as he thought to himself. It was strange, because he certainly wasn't expecting any visitors. If anyone came to see him on his days off, they usually rang first to let him know.   
  
The door bell rang, and Chris called out from the kitchen. "I'm coming!" He quickly opened the fridge door and grabbed a beer, then made his way to the front door. A loud pounding on the door followed, and Jericho frowned deeper, quickening his pace slightly. "I said I'm coming!" Arriving at the doorway, he pulled the door open, and the frown melted off his face. "Oh, hey Jeff. What's up?"  
  
Jeff Hardy stood at Chris Jericho's doorway, his eyes narrowed and his brow deeply furrowed. He said nothing, merely stared at the man in front of him. Suddenly, Jeff lunged forward and grabbed Jericho by the collar of his shirt, jerking the blonde off his feet. The beer bottle Chris had been holding fell to the floor and smashed with a loud crash, sending beer flooding over the floor and glass shards flying across the room. "Jesus, Jeff!! What's your problem?"  
  
Scowling heavily with his nostrils flaring, Jeff let out something that almost sounded like a growl. "What's going on with Lita?"  
  
Their faces only inches apart, Jericho shook his head, glancing down at the beer that was spilt all over his floor. Annoyance quickly slid onto his features, as he pushed Jeff's grip away. "What? What are you talking about?" Chris knelt to the floor, carefully picking up the pieces of glass that littered the floor. "Goddamn, I hadn't even taken a sip out of that beer yet!"  
  
As Jericho stood back up, Jeff shoved him roughly back into the living room, the menacing look still gracing his face. "Don't play dumb with me, Jericho." He pushed Chris again, stepping forward each time. "I know that you know that Lita's going through something. And I know that you know what it is. Now I want to know. And you're going to tell me."  
  
The look of annoyance on Chris' face quickly turned to one of anger, and he shoved the Hardy brother back, both of the men stepping in the spilt beer. "I don't know what your problem is Jeff, but I don't know what you're talking about! I don't know anything about Lita or anything she's going th --"  
  
Jericho's sentence was cut off as Jeff pulled back, and threw his fist at him, hitting Chris in the jaw. The canadian fell to the floor instantly, and raised a hand to his jaw, touching it lightly. Grimacing in pain, he looked up at Jeff slowly, who was standing over him.  
  
Jeff spoke slowly, articulating his words clearly, almost as if he were speaking to a small child that didn't quite understand him. "Chris, I know that you know. I heard your message on Lita's answering machine. I heard you talking to her on the phone this morning." He paused, stepping out of the beer that was on the floor. "I know that something is going on with Lita. She was crying this morning. And I know that you know what that something is."  
  
Getting back to his feet slowly, Jericho glared at the younger man. "If you want to know so badly, why don't you just ASK her?"  
  
The anger slipped off Jeff's face, instantly being replaced by a melancholic look. "She, uh, she won't tell me."  
  
"Oh, that's hilarious." Jericho smirked at Jeff, walking into the kitchen to grab some cloths to clean up the beer. "She won't tell you? But you've decided that even though it's probably none of your business, and Lita obviously doesn't want you to know, you'd come here and beat the answer out of me?"  
  
Chris walked back into the living room with two cloths, and handed one to Jeff. The two men bent down, and began to soak up the liquid that drenched the floor. Jeff kept his eyes on the floor as he spoke quietly. "Um, I didn't actually plan on beating you up."  
  
Jericho looked up at his friend, and smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Sure you didn't Jeff."  
  
"I'm sorry about the beer." Jeff continued mopping up the fallen liquid. "I was just.. I'm so frustrated. I don't get why Lita won't tell me what's going on?"  
  
"Maybe she just doesn't want you to know." Jericho said simply, standing up and taking back Jeff's cloth, and putting them back in the kitchen sink.   
  
Having Jeff appear like that startled him. And yeah, his jaw hurt from that punch as well. But Jericho was torn. He didn't know whether to tell Jeff what was going on, or keep quietly. Obviously, Lita didn't want Jeff to know about the way she felt. But maybe this was what Jeff needed? He was so clueless to the way that girl felt about him - maybe he needed someone to tell him, someone to show him straight out. Maybe this was what he needed to finally realise that Lita is the one for him, not Trish Stratus...  
  
"But why wouldn't she want me to know?" Jeff ran a hand through his hair, falling back onto Chris' couch. "I'm her best friend, Chris! What is going on that she can't tell me about? Is she afraid I wouldn't understand? Or that I'd judge her? She has to know that I'd never do anything like that --"  
  
Entering the living room once more, and joining Jeff on the couch, Chris scratched his head casually. "No, I wouldn't say that's the problem..."  
  
Jeff's gaze flew back to the blonde canadian, his eyes blazing intensely. "Please, Chris. Please - you gotta tell me what's going on."  
  
Jericho continued to look at the younger Hardy brother for a while, debating in his mind whether he should tell him or not. He frowned slightly, unsure if his decision was the right one of not. Slowly, he reached out and grabbed the remote, turning the television that was sitting in front of them off.  
  
"Jeff..." He started, and then let out a deep sigh. "You are just so goddamn clueless."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Chris shook his head, and continued. "I mean that you can't see something that is so incredibly obvious and is right in front of your face. Everyone else sees it. But you? You of all people, are just completely oblivious to it. You're blind."  
  
Jeff's eyes narrowed at Jericho's words, and his mind was brought back to something Lita had said to him the night that he stayed at her place. 'You're blind, Jeff. Do you know that? You are so blind...' What was he blind to?  
  
"You walk around the place, going on about how much you adore little Miss Trash Stratus, but you don't get it." Jericho braced himself, knowing that what he was about to say wouldn't be easy for Jeff to hear. "Trish isn't interested in you, Jeff. She never has been, and she never will be. And trust me - that's a good thing." Jeff began to argue, but Chris silenced him. "She is gorgeous, I'll admit that. Any man that doesn't find Trish sexy is either crazy or gay. But she's not the one for you."  
  
Jeff shook his head, understanding what Chris was getting at. "So I've been blind to Trish's true feelings to me? I guess I've been believing that she felt something for me.. believing that I had a chance. And I've been blind. But what does that have to do with Lita?"  
  
"No, Jeff, that's not what you've been blind to." Jericho paused, then corrected himself. "Well, you have been blind to that, but it's not what you've REALLY been blind to..." Frustrated, Jericho threw his hands up in the air. "Just listen to me, Jeff. Lita is in love with you. And you've been too blind to see it."  
  
"What?" Jeff looked at Chris, and then began laughing. "No. No way. I think you're getting a little confused there, Jericho. Lita isn't in love with me! I mean, me? No. No." Jeff shook his head, and kept repeating himself, as if trying to convince Jericho. "No."  
  
Jericho kept quiet, not bothering to argue the fact with Jeff. Instead, he sat silent, watching Jeff as he argued with himself.  
  
"Lita thinks of me as her brother. Me and Matt.. we're practically her brothers! Isn't that what everyone says? That's the way she looks at us?"  
  
Here, Chris spoke up. "Has Lita ever actually said that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"So 'everyone' says that Lita sees you as a brother. What do they know? Has Lita herself ever told you that she sees you as a brother?"  
  
Jeff shook his head. "No, she hasn't."  
  
"Well, duh." Jericho said simply. "That's because she doesn't." 


	7. The Denial

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: I live for reviews! Sending reviews makes me one happy Cathie! ^_^ So go on and make me happy! I know you want to!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita slumped further into her couch, a small wooly blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she watched some cheesy soap opera on the television in front of her. She reached over to the coffee table, grabbing a large piece of chocolate mud cake off a plate and chomping on it. Not caring that the dark chocolate icing stuck around the edges of her mouth, she finished the piece off quickly, reaching for her cup of hot chocolate to wash it down.  
  
She sighed as she tore her gaze away from the television screen, and looked over at the clock that hung on her wall. 7:10 pm. Normally, Jeff would be with her right now, and they would be practising some dancing steps. But since that night, two days ago, when her and Jeff had spent the night drinking at her place which had resulted into a huge confrontation, she hadn't heard anything from the youngest Hardy brother.  
  
Someone she had heard from though, was Jericho. The night after, actually. He told her that Jeff had stopped by his place and questioned him about her. More specifically, he had asked what Lita was keeping from him. And Chris had told the redhead that unfortunately, he hadn't been able to keep his 'big mouth' shut, and told Jeff about Lita's real feelings. The blonde canadian said that he was sorry, that he didn't have the intention of telling Jeff, but looking at him - face to face - he just blurted it out.  
  
Lita was shocked at first. Well, okay. More than shocked. Horrified. Now that Jeff knew how she really felt about him, it was all over. She could wave bye bye to their friendship, bye bye to all the time that they spent together, and bye bye to ever being able to look him in the eye again.  
  
Jeff had proved her right over the past couple of days. He hadn't called, hadn't visited... nothing. So Lita decided to spend her night pigging out on junk food and things she wouldn't normally indulge in. She figured she had nothing better do now that she wasn't teaching Jeff how to dance. If he wasn't going to be around her anymore, she needed to find other things to keep her occupied. Cheesy soaps and lots of junk food was just the thing.  
  
The redhead tucked her legs beneath her as she shifted on the couch. She pulled the blanket around her tighter, and clicked the remote control, surfing for a show that could possibly be even cheesier than the one she was originally watching. Stopping at a documentary about Orangutans, she grabbed the bucket of choc-chip ice cream that sat on the coffee table in front of her and shovelled a spoonful into her mouth. She placed the bucket on her lap and kept eating, staring at the screen lifelessly.  
  
A knock at the door brought her out of her zombie like state. Lita gave a heavy sigh as she realised she would have to get up. She figured it was Chris, as he had told her on the phone that he might stop by and see how she was. Hopefully it was the blonde canadian, cause then she could kick him for disturbing her self-pitied sulking. Slowly, she got up and made her way to the door. Not bothering to tidy herself up, Lita reached to open the door.. and her heart stopped beating.  
  
"Um, hi Li."  
  
What? Lita could hardly breathe. What was he doing there? Standing at the door like nothing had happened. Like two full days hadn't passed since the last time they talked - and even then, that had ended in tears. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear her thoughts. Why was Jeff Hardy standing in her doorway?  
  
"Jeff? ..."  
  
He gave a small shrug of his shoulders, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I completely lost track of time. I was out riding my bike and I just..." Jeff trailed off, squinting. He scratched at the area around his mouth awkwardly. "Um, Lita, you've got something around your mouth..."  
  
Lita snapped awake, and quickly held a hand up to her mouth. It was still covered in chocolate icing from the cake she had earlier. A small groan escaped her lips as she rushed to the kitchen to wash off the remaining icing. She called out from the kitchen to Jeff, who still stood just outside the front door. "You can come in. I was just.. um, watching some television."  
  
Jeff stepped inside as Lita finished up in the kitchen, closing the door behind him. He walked into the lounge room, and his eyes fell upon the cake, ice cream and cup of hot chocolate that sat on the coffee table, among other things like potato chips and cookies. His brow furrowed slightly. Strange, he thought. Lita never really was one for junk food.  
  
She exited out of the kitchen, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. She folded it and placed it on the table. The diva stood in front of Jeff, playing with her fingernails nervously. "So, you're here because...?"  
  
The young man felt a quiver shoot through him at the tone of Lita's voice. Unknowing, scared, nervous and upset. She was acting so different around him. So distant, so cold. There was no way that what Chris Jericho had told him a day ago was true. If Lita felt that way for him.. she wouldn't be acting like this. Would she?  
  
"I'm here for my dancing lesson. Oh.. if they're still on, of course."  
  
Unsure of how to react to his words, Lita shrugged her shoulders, hoping that she didn't look as panicked as she felt. "If you still want to learn, then yeah, they're still on." So Jeff didn't mind spending time with her, and wanted to continue his lessons. She suppressed a sigh as she thought about how much he must of wanted to impress Trish Stratus.  
  
Jeff let out a breath of relief, and a soft smile crept onto his face. "Good." He paused, unable of anything else to say. "Good."  
  
An unsettling silence fell upon the two friends, and Lita cleared her throat. "I'll just put on some music and we'll get started." She ran a hand through her long hair, and reached into her pocket, pulling out a hair tye. She bundled her hair up at the back of her head, tying it in a loose ponytail before walking over to the stereo. "Are we going over the waltz? Or did you want to try something a little quicker tonight? Because we could go either way, really --"  
  
"Jericho told me that you're in love with me."  
  
Lita froze, facing the stereo as Jeff stood behind her. She felt her lungs constrict, making it hard for her to breathe. She felt her heart begin to race, making it feel like it would burst from her chest at any second. She felt her legs suddenely grow weak, making it feel as though she would soon drop to the floor. Lita still stood facing the stereo, not able to say anything.  
  
"Lita?" Jeff asked unsurely, taking a step closer to the redheaded diva.  
  
Slowly, she turned around to face him. His face was full of uncertaintity, and doubt, and fear. Lita felt herself grow cold at the look on his face. He was disgusted at the idea of her being in love with him; she could see it in his eyes. He hated the idea.  
  
She closed her eyes for a split second, trying desperately to draw some strength from deep within herself. When she opened them again, a gentle smile was placed on Lita's lips. "Did he really?" She walked the coffee table, picking up her hot chocolate and taking a quick gulp. "Well, you know Chris. What a joker! Always making things up and mucking around... such a stirrer!"  
  
A frown found it's way onto Jeff's features as he studied Lita carefully. His head tilted slightly to one side as he watched her. "So you're saying Jericho was lying?"  
  
Gathering up more and more courage, Lita let out a laugh. "Of course! I mean, look at the facts here. It's Jericho you're talking about. Since when did he become a reliable source?" She looked at Jeff pointedly before continuing. "And how could I possibly be in love with you? You're my little Jeffy! Honestly, you and Matt are like the brothers I never had! You know that, don't you?"  
  
With those words, Jeff felt all his resolve fade away. Lita had said that she felt for him like a brother. That was it. It was over. He let Chris persuade him to believe that maybe she did feel otherwise, because she hadn't ever stated their love to be purely brotherly/sisterly. Jeff had been thinking about what Jericho had told him, and each time he thought about it, the more sense it made. But now, now that she had clearly defined their relationship...  
  
Well, he knew that Jericho was a liar.  
  
"So, are you okay now? That Jericho, trying to stir you up like that... I don't known why he would say something like that."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. He probably thought he was being funny." Jeff shook his head slightly, feeling heartbroken and disappointed - and he wasn't really sure why. 


	8. The Screw Up

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, and I wouldn't mind Jericho and Edge either.. but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: I live for reviews! Sending reviews makes me one happy Cathie! ^_^ So go on and make me happy! I know you want to!  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! An update! Wheee! ^_^ I know, it's taken me a while. But that's what evil school does sometimes. Anyway, enough about depressing school and non-update-time. Here is a chapter, and it's kinda long... so let me know what you think! I've been missing my reviews!   
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
His ankles ached. That's all he could think about as he pounded his feet down on the treadmill, his long blonde pony tail bobbing with the movement. His arms were bent slightly, moving back and forth as he jogged on the machine. A slick sheen of sweat covered his body, his white singlet damp and clinging to his chest. Glancing down at the clock timer that sat on the handlebars, Chris Jericho realised he had been on the machine for almost an hour.  
  
No wonder his ankles were aching.  
  
Pressing a few buttons in front of him, Chris eased the machine to a slower pace, until he was eventually pacing on the treadmill belt. Finally, it came to a stop and he stepped down onto the floor, breathing heavily from exertion and panting slightly. Sweeping away loose strands of sweat drenched hair that clung to his face, Chris picked up the water bottle he had left on the floor and raised it to his lips, swallowing the cool water with ease.  
  
His breath still slightly rushed, Jericho glanced around the arena gym. He caught sight of a few other superstars using other machines around the room, doing some light training before the RAW show later on that night. Randy Orton was using the weights, watching himself in the wall length mirror; Shane Helms was hanging upside down from a bar, pulling himself up every now and then to touch his toes; Rodney Mack was across on the other side of the gym, stretching and cooling down from his workout; and there on the exercise bike was Christian. And if Jericho wasn't mistaken, his fellow canadian was wearing bright orange short shorts? What the hell...  
  
Chris made his way over to the exercise bike, trying hard but failing to suppress the good natured smirk that appeared on his lips. He stood beside the bike, simply watching Christian pedal away for a few moments. Leisurely, Chris took sips from his water bottle, still watching him on the bike. It wasn't long until Christian's gaze travelled to his friend who stood silently beside him. "What's up C-man? Anything I can do for ya?" The blonde canadian was slightly out of breath, his words being puffed out.  
  
"Nah, not really." Jericho sent a pointed look towards Christian's bright orange shorts, which ended approximately halfway into his thighs. "I was just strangely drawn over here by some unknown force." He gasped, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. "You know what? I think it's those shorts of yours! They have some kind of... irresistible power over me."  
  
Christian nodded his head, sneering at his friend's comments. "Yeah, yeah. Go on, make fun of the shorts. I'll tell you what though, the chicks dig 'em."  
  
"Yeah, cause you're totally surrounded by adoring women, Christian."  
  
"Maybe not right now." Christian added, still cycling quickly as he spoke. "But by this time tomorrow night, I'll be out on a date with the one and only Trish Stratus." He broke out into a wide grin. "So you know what that means."  
  
Chris rose an eyebrow at his friend, absentmindedly plucking his damp singlet off from his slick skin. "No, actually I don't. What does that mean?"  
  
"It means I'll be getting some tomorrow night."   
  
Rolling his eyes at Christian, Jericho took a gulp of water from the bottle in his hand. Christian was a good guy for the most part. But sometimes he was just so utterly clueless it almost made Jericho laugh out loud. "Getting some what, exactly? Geez Christian, I hope you're not talking about what I think you're talking about."  
  
The blonde canadian on the exercise bike glanced at Chris, his eyes narrowing. "What else do you think I'd be talking about? I mean, this is Trish Stratus you know."  
  
Throwing his hands up in defeat, Jericho shook his head. "Never mind. I'm withdrawing out of this conversation before I end up hurting you."  
  
Christian began to protest, slowing his pedalling down to an almost complete stop, when the two blonde canadians heard a loud voice behind them. A loud, angry, southern voice. "You lying piece of shit."  
  
Rising an eyebrow questioningly at Christian - who simply shrugged in reply, Jericho slowly turned around. Was that comment meant for one of them? Facing the opposite direction now, he found an irate looking Jeff Hardy behind him.  
  
"Hey man, did you just say something to me?"  
  
Jeff stood with his hands on his hips, frowning fiercely at the man in front of him. "You're damn right I said something. You're a fucking liar."  
  
Christian looked at the two men, eyes wide, and quietly stepped off the exercise bike. He grabbed the towel hanging from the handle bars, mopping his brow. He then began to make his way out of the gym, flinging his towel over his shoulder. "Uh, Jericho, I'll see you later man."  
  
Jericho didn't reply as Christian left the gym. He kept his blue eyes trained on the Hardy brother who stood in front of him, glaring angrily. He wasn't sure what Jeff was going on about, but he looked angry. And Chris learnt not to ignore Jeff Hardy when he was angry. "Look Jeff, why don't we go somewhere and sit down. Then you can tell me what this is about, because honestly, I don't have a clue --"  
  
"I'm talking about Lita."  
  
Chris sent a soft smile to his friend. "Why does that not surprise me?"  
  
Jeff crossed his arms over his chest, breathing out heavily. He didn't return the smile. "This isn't anything to smile about, Jericho. Trust me." His glare hardened as he continued. "After you and I had our little talk, the one where you told me that Lita was in love with me - you remember that? Well, after talking to you I decided to go see Lita. I'm not sure why I went... maybe I was curious, maybe I felt something more, I don't know. But you know what? It doesn't matter why I went or what I felt. You want to know why?"  
  
Brushing some damp hair out of his face, Jericho nodded. "Why?"  
  
"Because you're a fucking liar." Spitting angrily, Jeff continued his story. "I went to see her, and I told her that you told me how she really felt. I told her that I knew she loved me."  
  
Chris' eyes widened in shock as his brain ticked over the possibilities of what could of happened after Jeff told Lita that he knew how she felt for him. His first thought was that they both confessed their love for each other, and fell into each other's arms, kissing hungrily and that they were now living happily ever after. But the look on Jeff's face contradicted that thought, and Jericho meekly spoke up. "What happened then?"  
  
Jeff's head shook slightly, his brow furrowed heavily. "Oh, you have to hear the whole story Chris. It's unbelievable. So I told her that I know, that you told me. And you know what she says? Lita told me that you were joking. That you were lying. She told me that she could NEVER love me, because I'm her 'little Jeffy', and that Matt and I are like her brothers." Jeff stared at Jericho, feeling the anger and hurt rise in his voice.   
  
"No way." Chris couldn't believe what Jeff had just told him. Lita had denied her feelings for Jeff when he confronted her about it? Why would she do that? It was the perfect set up! All she had to do was tell him it was true, and then Jeff would profess his love for her as well - and then they'd live happily ever after... "Is that what she actually said?"  
  
"Word for word." Jeff stated angrily, almost gritting his teeth in fury. "I just can't believe you'd screw me around like that Jericho! I don't get... I mean, how could you... why would..." Jeff tripped over his words, unable to find the words to express exactly what he wanted to say. His green eyes flew to Chris' blue ones, and he finally found what he wanted to say. "What could you possibly have to gain for making something like that up?" His frown continued to deepen, and his voice raised with each word he spoke. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but I should've known better. I was stupid to believe you."  
  
"Jeff..."  
  
"Forget it, Chris. Just forget it." He gave one last sneer to the blonde before walking away. "Don't ever try to fuck with my friendship with Lita again, okay? You try it, and you're a dead man."  
  
Jericho watched in disbelief as Jeff turned his back and stalked away out of the arena gym, probably towards the locker rooms. Chris, still reeling from the news Jeff had given him, took a long, lazy gulp from the water bottle he still held in his hands. He turned around and had another look around the gym. He tried to decide which machine he would use next, but found himself unable to concentrate on his work out routine. He was just too damn confused!  
  
So Jeff had gone over to Lita's place and told her that he knew she loved him. Then Lita had told him that it was all a lie, and that she felt for him like a brother. Then Jeff left and is now currently pissed off at Jericho for lying to him. Even though he wasn't lying, Lita was just denying the truth for some strange reason. And anyway, why would Jeff be pissed that Lita didn't love him? He strongly denied feeling anything for Lita when they talked - so unless he realised he did in fact have feelings for the redhead, he shouldn't be so upset that she didn't love him and --  
  
Goddamn, he was just getting more and more confused as he thought about it. Chris held a hand up to his forehead, massaging it gently and closing his eyes. How did it get so screwed up when it should've been so easy?  
  
Giving the gym one last look, Jericho headed towards the exit, making his way back to his locker room. He figured he was done training for the day. He probably needed to go have a shower and get ready for tonight's RAW show anyway. Glancing at his wristwatch, he realised the show would start in two hours. Yep, definitely time to get ready.  
  
Walking through the arena hallways, Chris tried to clear his thoughts from what Jeff Hardy had just told him. As much as the screwed up situation his two friends were in confused and frustrated him, he had to focus on his match. He was going up against Kevin Nash. Not an easy opponent by any account. He had to be focused, his attention directed soley onto the match and strategy and -- Chris saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eyes. Hey, it was Lita. As he stopped to talk to the redheaded diva, Chris chided himself.  
  
Yeah, way to be focused Jericho.  
  
Jericho stopped in front of the woman, who was just finishing a conversation with Victoria. Lita waved a goodbye, and then turned to face Chris. He immediately began talking, almost at a million miles an hour. "Red, I have to have a serious talk with you. I just got a telling off from a certain Hardy brother and --"  
  
"You know what Chris? Don't you dare talk to me about Jeff Hardy!" Lita's pretty face was marred by a scowl that set heavily upon her features. "You've screwed up things between him and I more than enough."  
  
Shell shocked at Lita's prompt outburst, Jericho found himself unable to say anything more than a few stuttered half-words. "But... I was just... he was asking... and I thought... you were the one who..." He found himself frowning at the growing complexity of the situation that he thought was so simple.  
  
Lita's scowl grew at Chris' puzzled silence. "Do you know how awkward things are between Jeff and I now? I can't even spend time alone with him now without feeling all nervous and critical about every move that I make, or every word that I speak. I keep thinking that he'll think I'm saying something I'm not... or misunderstand something I say..." She stepped from side to side, throwing her hands up in the air. "God, Chris! I have to watch everything I say or do whenever I'm with my best friend because I'm worried he'll realise that I'm in love with him!!"  
  
"Why don't you just tell him the truth!" Jericho finally managed to speak when Lita paused slightly. "Just tell the man the truth about how you feel instead of making it so complicated and lying about it!"  
  
The redhead sent Jericho a look that made him feel like what he had suggested made no sense at all. "Tell him the truth? And what... lose him forever?" She shook her head. "Things may be awkward as hell between Jeff and I at the moment, Chris, but I'd rather that than not have him in my life at all."  
  
Jericho had to pause momentarily to try and get his head around what his female friend was saying. She thought that if Jeff knew how she felt he'd leave her life? She thought that he'd run away from her? Is that why she lied? Because she was afraid of losing him? Oh, things were so freaking twisted... "No, Li, Jeff wouldn't leave if he knew! Trust me, he would want to know! He feels something, I saw it when I first told him and I heard him say --"  
  
"Shuttup." Lita closed her eyes, holding a hand up to silence Chris. "No more, okay? I'm not going to listen to what you, or Edge, or anyone else says anymore. Things are simpler if I just stick to how things were before. Back when Jeff knew that I was his best friend before anything else, and back when I could love him from a distance. Things were simpler then."  
  
"But you were miserable."  
  
A small scoff escaped from her lips. "I still am." And with that final sentence, she gave Chris a pained look, and then walked away.  
  
Jericho took in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, feeling his shoulders sag with the outward breath. Oh, two encounters like that within the one night. Hell, within half an hour of each other! From both sides of the story, both of them not realising what was really going on with the other. And here he was - stuck in the middle. Knowing full well that Lita loved Jeff with all her heart, and beginning to understand now that Jeff loved her too, even if he hadn't quite realised it yet. And there was nothing Jericho could do.  
  
The blonde canadian slowly awoke from his thoughts, and made his way back towards his dressing room. For what seemed to be the millionth time that night, one small thought ran through his head. How did something so simple get so screwed up? 


	9. The Bad Timing

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: PG 13.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, and I wouldn't mind Jericho and Edge either.. but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: I live for reviews! Sending reviews makes me one happy Cathie! ^_^ So go on and make me happy! I know you want to!  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: And I had almost forgotten what an update looked like. Well here it is! A brand new chapter, waiting for some brand new reviews! .. I apologise for the total and utter lack of posts, but I think this one will set the ball rolling! Thanks for your continued interest, and look out for more crazy chatpers! Now, on with the story!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
"I don't think I'm doing this right."  
  
Lita shook her head emphatically as the two stepped forward, her arms wrapped around Jeff's neck and holding onto him tightly. "You're doing great, Jeff. Stop being so self conscious about the way you move. Your attitude about your dancing comes off in vibes, and believe me when I say that us women can feel when a guy is criticising himself."  
  
Jeff's face twisted into that of a frown as his gaze fell to his feet, watching the way they moved intently. "I can't help being self conscious. That's what happens when you suck as badly as I do."  
  
"You don't suck." Lita clucked her tongue as she watched Jeff watching his own feet. Carefully, she brought one hand under Jeff's chin, and lifted his head so that he was looking at her. "You're doing fine, you have nothing to worry about. Keep your eyes on me, not on your feet. You want Trish to feel special when you dance with her, right? So make sure all of your attention is on her."  
  
Sucking in a breath through clenched teeth, Jeff swallowed and kept his green eyes on Lita's face as they moved about her living room slowly, the soft music playing in the background.   
  
Lita's own steady gaze travelled from Jeff's eyes, inching down to trace over his full lips. Lita couldn't help but bite down on her lower lip as she ran her gaze over the pink flesh. She was so close... she could feel the warm air that escaped from them on her cheeks. All she had to do was lean in a little closer and...  
  
"Am I doing something wrong?"  
  
Jeff's sudden question broke Lita from her trance, and she quickly averted her eyes back up to his eyes, and shook her head slightly, sending him a small smile. "No. Not at all."  
  
Still holding onto Lita, his arms wrapped around her back, and dancing slowly around the living room, Jeff shrugged. "Oh. It just seemed like you were staring, and you had this funny look on your face so I just thought that maybe I was doing something wrong..."  
  
"No." The redhead shook her head emphatically. "I... well, you know me. I was just off in my own little world for a moment. But I'm back here on Earth with you now."  
  
Jeff let out a good natured chuckle, and smiled down at the woman in his arms. "You know, sometimes I think you're crazier than I am."  
  
A laugh escaped Lita's lips, and she ducked her head slightly. "You're probably right. I'm crazy, you're crazy... we're both crazy." She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed in thought. "I actually think that's why we get along so well."  
  
"Because we're both nutcases?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Lita pondered that comment for a moment, and then nodded at Jeff with a wide grin sitting on her lips. "Yep. That's exactly why."  
  
The youngest Hardy brother laughed at Lita's words, and soon afterwards the two friends fell into a silence. The sound of the music playing in the background the only sound to be heard throughout the otherwise empty house. Their dancing continued, Jeff mouthing the beat so that he kept in time with the music. After a few minutes of counting out the beat, he stopped, instead biting his lip gently with concentration as he tried to continue the steps without consciously counting out the beat and worrying about where his feet where stepping.  
  
"You're doing great."  
  
He looked at Lita, and let out a slight scoff, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I'm trying, but I just don't know..."  
  
"No, I'm serious. I think you're really getting there." Lita looked at him intensely. "You're not counting the beat anymore." She smiled. "You're just dancing. You're not worrying about how to do it, or if you're doing it right. You're just dancing. And that's when you start to dance well."  
  
Jeff let out a breath. "I'll probably stuff something up sooner or later. I haven't stepped on your toes for a while now, so I'm about due to do that. And I'll probably step out of beat in a moment. I don't think things are going to stay -"  
  
Interrupting Jeff's words, Lita raised both of their arms up in the air, as she twirled around once, twice, three times, and without needing to say a word to Jeff, was dipped down low with his arms around her, supporting her back. Jeff paused for a moment, and she looked up at him with a fluttering stare. Lifting Lita back to her feet, Jeff pulled her flush against him as they resumed waltzing, all the while continuing to step in time with the music.  
  
Her breaths quickening, Lita locked eyes with Jeff. In that simple movement she had initiated to simply get the man to be more confident in his dancing abilities, something had passed between them. Some sort of electricity that shot through their bodies. She had felt it pass through her skin, run through every nerve ending in her body, and jolt down her spine. Looking into Jeff's green eyes, she saw something in them that made her believe that he had felt that electricity too.  
  
The two continued to look at each other, each seeing an intense desire and passion swirling in the other's eyes. Their bodies pressed together, palms locked and fingers intertwined, their faces only centimetres away from each other. Lita licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry from her nerves. Jeff had to tense every muscle in his body to stop shivering with an overpowering feeling of excitement.  
  
"Lita..."  
  
"Jeff?"  
  
Both voices at whispers, strained emotions filtering through, carried on their words.  
  
Jeff closed his eyes for a moment, and leant his forehead upon Lita's. Breathing heavily, he pulled back, and opened his eyes to look at her. He saw her hazel eyes, shining back at him, wide and full and focusing only on him. "Lita. You know that you're my best friend, right?"  
  
Lita nodded slowly. "And you're mine too, Jeff."  
  
A pause, and a quiet stuttering from Jeff as the two continued to waltz around the living room slowly. "I'm not really sure how to say this to you. I haven't even really said it to myself yet, so if this comes out all wrong, I apologise now."  
  
Watching him closely, Lita didn't say a word for a few moments, silently willing him to continue. When it was clear he needed some encouragement, she spoke up. "Go on. I'm listening, and I don't care if you say something wrong or anything like that. You should know that by now."  
  
"This is different though, Li." Jeff narrowed his eyes, holding her tightly. "This is different because I FEEL different."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that I feel different... about you." The youngest Hardy brother blinked as he continued to stare at the redhead in his arms, standing before him. "I feel different about us."  
  
Lita felt her heart leap to her throat, and her knees buckle with weakness. Could this be the moment she had been waiting for, for so long? Did Jeff truly feel differently about her now? Did he see her as more than just a friend? Would she even be able to stand much longer with the amount of excitement she was feeling, and how fast her heart was beating?  
  
Before Jeff could continue speaking, he suddenly looked down at his pocket and groaned. "Shit. Bloody beautiful timing." He released Lita's hand, and reached down into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out his mobile phone. He looked at Lita, an contrite look on his face. "I'm sorry. I'll just be a second, alright?"  
  
She nodded as he answered the call, placing the phone beside his ear. Lita stood beside him, chewing her lip gently in an effort to try and get herself to calm down and start breathing properly again. And it began to work, until she heard Jeff greet the person on the other end of the call.  
  
"Oh, hey Trish."  
  
  
  
Lita's gaze snapped to Jeff, watching his reaction intently. As he talked through the phone, he avoided eye contact with the redhead, which created a sick, swirling feeling to roll through her insides. She couldn't believe it. Why was Trish calling Jeff? And why now? She swallowed her rising nausea, and listened to Jeff's side of the conversation.  
  
"Really?.... well, I am, I guess.... I just didn't think you would.... Yes, that's right.... well, s-sure, I guess so.... That would be nice.... Yeah, yeah.... Thanks for calling, Trish.... I'll talk to you soon then.... Yep, Bye."   
  
Pressing a button to end the call, Jeff shoved the phone back in his pocket, and slowly returned his gaze back to Lita. She looked at him expectantly, and he quickly glanced down at the floor before looking back up at her.  
  
"That was Trish."  
  
"Yeah, I figured that much." Lita did not like the amount of bitterness that came out with her words. She hadn't meant to sound like that, honestly.  
  
Jeff rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Lita knew that was not a good sign. "She, uh, she just asked me to go out with her next Friday night."  
  
Lita blinked her eyes. The nausea swept through her body once again. "And you said yes."  
  
"I did." Jeff nodded slowly, trying to gauge Lita's reaction to the news. This phone call from Trish Stratus completely threw him for a loop. After what he had just felt with Lita, and now receiving this phone call... and he knew that if he was feeling dazed and confused, Lita would be feeling some of that as well.  
  
Swallowing slowly, Lita sent Jeff a gentle smile. "That's great news, Jeff." She patted his shoulder as she walked past him, into the kitchen. "Now you'll be able to take her out dancing and wow her with what an excellent dancer you've become."  
  
"Yeah.. I guess I will."  
  
Lita looked over her shoulder at her friend as she entered the kitchen. "You must be feeling pretty happy." She smiled, and made her way towards the fridge, opening it and grabbing a bottle of water.  
  
Jeff watched Lita from inside the living room, still standing in the position he had been since he picked up his phone. He thought about the reality that he would be going out on a date with Trish in a little over a week's time. And he thought about how he had wanted that for such a long time now. He thought about how happy that should make him.  
  
He watched Lita put the water bottle to her lips, swallowing the cool liquid. He watched as she looked over at him, her lips smiling but her eyes remaining sad.  
  
Jeff thought about his date with Trish Stratus. And how seriously unhappy he felt about going on that date. 


	10. The Other Woman

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: PG 15 +.  
  
CONTENT: Heavy language.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Christian, Chris Jericho, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, and I wouldn't mind Jericho and Edge and Christian either.. but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Always welcome. Except for flames. As long as you want to send lots of love and praise, then it's always welcome!  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while, but here's a lovely new chapter for you all to enjoy! Hope you like it, and remember, regardless whether you liked it or not, be sure to leave a review and let me know what you thought! Now, onto the story! Yee haw!!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Trish Stratus stood in front of the full length mirror that hung on the wall of the women's locker room. Hands on her hips, she inspected her reflection in the glass before her, running her fingers through her blonde locks and pouting her lips slightly. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and straightened the collar on the pink, sparkling jacket she was wearing and then she was done. The blonde diva smiled to herself.   
  
She was looking good tonight.  
  
And there was a very good reason for why she had put in so much effort to look as good as she did tonight. That reason's name was Christian. He wouldn't know what hit him when he saw Trish tonight. Walking out of the diva's locker room, Trish stepped past Chris Jericho in the hall way, ignoring the blonde man completely.   
  
Turning to face Trish as she walked away from him, Jericho called out to her. "Hey, Trish."   
  
She turned around, and sighed. "What is it Jericho? I have somewhere important to be."  
  
"I just wanted to let you know Christian was looking for you before." Chris cocked his head as he looked at the diva. "Looked pretty upset about something, too."  
  
Crossing her arms over her chest angrily at the sound of Christian's name, Trish narrowed her eyes at Chris. "And what possible reason could that man have to be upset with me? I, on the other hand, have EVERY reason to be upset with that asshole!"  
  
"Whoa, calm down!" Jericho stepped towards Trish, a slight frown appearing on his face. "Christian may be a little clueless sometimes, but that's my best friend you're talking about!"  
  
Trish rolled her eyes, and turned away from Jericho once again, continuing on her way down the hall way. "Whatever. See you later Chris."  
  
Chris shouted at the blonde diva who was walking away from him speedily. "I don't know what the hell he did to piss you off so much, but you need to deal with that serious attitude problem!"  
  
As she stepped around the hallway corner, Trish gave a heavy scoff as she thought about Jericho's words. What the hell would he know? He was right about one thing, he DIDN'T know what Christian had done to piss her off so much. And because of that, he couldn't possibly understand how bad she felt and how much she was aching inside. And all because of Christian.  
  
Damn that man. Trish had never been one of those women who felt like they needed a man to be happy, or even let what a man did or said get to her and upset her. She never felt like that. But this was different. With Christian, she felt different.   
  
In the beginning, it had been wonderful. The things he made her feel; the butterflies in her stomach when he looked at her, the way her knees buckled when he touched her, the way her pulse quickened when they kissed. The first - and so far only - night they had spent together had been absolute bliss. And Trish had never been happier.  
  
That was before she caught him with another woman. The very next day.  
  
She had come to visit him in his hotel room the next evening, a lovesick smile on her face and an invitation to dinner on the tip of her tongue. She had used the spare key card to his room he had given her the night before, and walked right on in to his room. He was asleep in bed, his bare chest free from any covers. At first, she had smiled at the sight of the man sleeping so soundly. Trish even contemplated the possibility of simply slipping in beside him...  
  
Then the bathroom door opened. And out stepped some woman she had never seen before. The brunette woman's hair was wet, and her shapely body was wrapped only in a towel. She eyed Trish curiously, and asked who she was. The blonde fumed. How dare that woman, probably some filthy ring rat, ask who SHE was? She never even answered her question. Instead, she whipped around, stormed out of that hotel room, and didn't look back.  
  
Walking through the arena corridors, Trish hoped that Christian watched her match that was on in a little over half an hour. She wanted him to watch, and see how great she looked and how well she wrestled, and realise exactly what he had thrown away. All for some mousey, drab brunette who probably wasn't even half as great in bed as Trish was.  
  
She slowed down beside a water cooler in the hall way, and took a plastic cup and filled it up with water. It was quite a warm night, and she hoped that the arena itself had good ventilation. There was nothing worse than an arena that turned into a gigantic sauna once the show began.  
  
Trish's thoughts were interrupted as a voice called out to her from behind. "Hey! There's my baby girl!"  
  
Her blood boiled at his voice. How DARE he even try to talk to her after he did that to her... She turned around slowly, her gaze already fixed into a hard glare.  
  
Christian walked up the corridor, standing in front of Trish with a wide grin. "Where have you been? I haven't seen or heard from you since that night at the hotel. I've been looking for you -"  
  
"I've been around."  
  
Taken aback by the shortness Trish was displaying, a twisted frown flashed over Christian's features for a brief moment. Thinking that maybe she was just distracted by her match against Molly Holly soon, he smiled at her once again. "Well, anyway, I was just wondering if after the show tonight you wanted to go out for some drinks..."  
  
The canadian diva rolled her eyes at Christian. He actually thought she'd want to go out and have drinks with him? After what he did to her? This man had absolutely no conscience or morals, did he?  
  
Not picking up that anything was wrong, Christian continued. "... and then maybe we could come back to my hotel room and just have a quiet night in." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "Or something else slightly more exciting."  
  
Unable to control her anger any longer, Trish frowned fiercely at the blonde man standing in front of her. "You just can't keep your fucking dick in your pants, can you!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Shaking her head in frustration, Trish squeezed her eyes shut tightly before facing Christian once more. "You act all sweet and caring and considerate and like you actually feel something for me, but in the end you're the same as all the other assholes that have been and gone. All you want is a fuck, and then you're outta there. WELL FUCK YOU! I don't need you, and I'm not going to let myself be used by you again!"  
  
Grabbing the outraged woman's shoulders firmly, Christian looked down at her seriously. "Trish! Calm down! What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"I saw you Christian!" She yelled, her voice rising louder and louder with each sentence. " I fucking SAW YOU with that cheap tramp in your room!"  
  
Christian's eyes searched hers for a few silent moments, his hold on her shoulders still strong. He saw the anger and the tears in her eyes and the confused frown suddenly slipped away from his face. "Oh, shit."  
  
"Yeah, shit." She gave a grim chuckle, then spat out her words. "Fucking shit, Christian! You slept with me the NIGHT BEFORE! And then you go and get laid by some, some pathetic little groupie?"  
  
"She, uh, she works at the hotel, actually."   
  
"What!"  
  
Eyes wide, Christian shook his head. "Nothing, nothing, forget..."  
  
"She works at the HOTEL? You screwed one of the HOTEL STAFF?"  
  
"No! I mean, yes, I did.. but she didn't mean anything!"  
  
Trish gasped at his admission, turning her back to him briefly before turning to glare at him once again. "I can't believe you actually admit it!"  
  
Christian raked a hand through his chopped blonde locks. "I'm just trying to tell you the truth! She didn't mean anything, I swear! She just started cracking onto me, telling me how attractive she thought I was, and she was wearing this really sexy, low cut top and... I just... I didn't mean for it to happen and..."  
  
"You are fucking incredible."  
  
"Trish, I..."  
  
"No, don't even say another word!" Arms folded over her chest, Trish glanced over Christian's shoulder and saw Jeff Hardy and Lita talking to each other, walking down the hall way towards the two canadians. She set her jaw in resolution. "Don't say another word Christian. You know what I did right after I walked in on you? I called Jeff Hardy and asked him out on a date." She paused, cocking her head slightly. "See? I don't need you."  
  
Hesitating slightly, Christian narrowed his eyes. "You did not ask for a date with Jeff."  
  
"I did too."  
  
"You told me yourself you don't feel anything for the guy!"  
  
Smirking bitterly, Trish watched as Jeff and Lita neared them. "Maybe I changed my mind."   
  
As the two friends walked past Trish and Christian, the blonde diva reached out and grabbed Jeff's arm. She placed her hand on Jeff's cheek, running her hand down his jaw line as she smiled up at him. "Hi Jeff, sweetie. I'm really looking forward to going out with you on Friday night. What have you got planned for us? Something really romantic, I hope."  
  
Jeff looked over at Lita awkwardly, his arm being held tightly in Trish's grasp. "I, um, I was thinking we could have some dinner first at this Italian restaurant I know, and then maybe do a bit of dancing afterwards."  
  
"Sounds delightful." Trish smiled brightly up at him, then smiled sickingly sweetly at Christian, her eyes fixed onto him. "I can't wait." Then turned back, leaned up on her tip toes, and planted a soft kiss on Jeff's lips.  
  
She pulled back, looking up at him from underneath her lashes and smiled. Then she turned and walked down the hallway, towards the entrance of the stage. "See you on Friday."  
  
Shocked at what had just happened, Jeff stood still, merely clearing his throat uneasily. He slowly looked over at the redhead by his side, who's eyes were cast downwards, staring at the floor. Her hair fell forward as she bent her head, curtaining her face. Jeff called her name. "Lita?"  
  
She looked up quickly, her hazel eyes shining with sadness, but a smile on her face. "Looks like you two will have a great time on Friday."  
  
A tense silence passed between the two, but was broken by the sounds of a low muttering coming from beside them. They turned away from each other and glanced at the blonde canadian to their side. Christian was staring in the direction Trish had walked away in, and swearing under his breath. Once he realised that the other two were staring at him, he turned to them and frowned, speaking harshly before walking down towards the opposite end of the hall way.  
  
"That woman is fucking unbelievable." 


	11. The Epiphany

TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther03yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: PG 15 .  
  
CONTENT: Heavy language.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Christian, Chris Jericho, Trish and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, and I wouldn't mind Jericho and Edge and Christian either.. but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Always welcome. Except for flames. As long as you want to send lots of love and praise, then it's always welcome!  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been far too long since my last update, I know. And I apologise immensely for that. Mostly, the reason for my lack of focus was due to an accident last month that stole away a very close friend of mine. A car accident where the driver walks away, but the passenger dies. It's taken me a while to start thinking properly again... and writing anything remotely coherent took even longer. I just want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement.. if not for them, I probably still wouldn't have finished this chapter.  
  
Now onto the story! Enjoy, and be sure to leave me some feedback! I've forgotten what it looks like after all this time!

.........................

Throwing the heavy duffell bag, full of his wrestling gear, onto the wooden bench in the arena locker room, Jeff Hardy raised his leg, reaching down to tie the shoelaces on his runners. As he bent down, a few strands of hair fell forward into his eyes, still dripping water from the shower he had ten minutes ago. As he finished tying up his shoes, he swiped at the stray hair, brushing it back.  
  
He took a quick glance around the empty locker room. Most of the other guys had already gone home by now. The show had finished a little over an hour ago. The only reason why Jeff was still at the arena was because his match was one of the last on the cards, just before the main event, and he'd pretty much taken his showering and getting ready after the match. Just needed some time to think, really. Tonight was going to be a big night...  
  
"So, you're finally going out on a date with Miss Stratus, huh? Bet you're one happy little boy. I know I would be if I was in your shoes!"  
  
Glancing over his shoulder at the voice behind him, Jeff saw the figure of Shawn Micheals smiling down at him. He turned around completely, facing the older man, an eyebrow cocked as he questioned him. "You know about my date with Trish tonight?"  
  
Shawn was a guy that Jeff considered a friend in the locker room, but they weren't all that close at all once they stepped outside of the arena. When they talked, all they ever talked about was wrestling - what was going on at the moment, what some of their favourites matches were, what they would like to accomplish in the future. They never really talked about anything personal at all. It wasn't that they didn't like each other enough or anything... that was just the way the friendship was.  
  
Shawn gave a playful shrug, his hair bouncing with the movement. Still grinning, he gave a slight laugh. "Hey, what can I say? Word gets around a locker room pretty quickly. There's no bigger gossipers than a bunch of wrestlers."  
  
Nodding, Jeff gave a small chuckle. "True. Half of the guys here are worse than all the divas put together."  
  
"You got that right." Shawn stepped back, taking a seat on a nearby bench. "So, tell me Hardy. You looking forward to tonight, or what?"  
  
"Well, yeah. I mean, I'd be crazy if I wasn't, right?" Jeff eyed the other wrestler, scratching at the back of his neck absently. "I've liked Trish for so long now..."  
  
Shawn's grin widened. "And who could blame ya."  
  
Jeff nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "She is stunning, isn't she?" He continued, "I've wanted to take her out since the day I laid eyes on her. So this is a really, really good thing. Dinner, dancing... a real date. With Trish Stratus. Yeah, it's a good thing."  
  
Shawn's brows turned up in question. "Dancing?" Then, remembering details he had heard, he nodded at Jeff. "That's right... Red was teaching you how to dance in preparation for the big date, wasn't she?"  
  
"Aw man, don't tell me that Lita giving me dancing lessons is going around the locker room too!" Jeff groaned, ducking his head. "That is definitely not something that I wanted all the guys talking about."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it, Jeff. Half the guys are lining up to ask Lita to teach them how to dance next!" Shawn let out a warm laugh, his deep voice ringing through the otherwise empty locker room. "They figure it's something they can learn to impress the ladies with, and hell, with a teacher like Red... who wouldn't want to sign up for a lesson or two!"  
  
Jeff felt a strange sensation swirl around the pit of his stomach at Shawn's words. Images of Lita pressed up against guys like Chris Jericho, Edge, and Randy Orton, teaching them how to waltz, and foxtrot and... tango. He shook his head, clearing the flashing images from underneath his eyelids. "Ah, really? Well, don't you think that learning how to dance just for the sake of spending time with the teacher is a bit, you know, pathetic?"  
  
Shawn began to reply, but was cut off by Jeff's terse voice. "Anyway, they'll probably end up being disappointed, because I'm pretty sure this was just a one time deal. You know, Lita doing me a favour and everything because she's my best friend. I don't think she has the time to teach anyone else, or would want to for that matter..."  
  
His eyes narrowing slightly, Shawn studied the youngest Hardy brother and shook his head, puzzled by Jeff's almost defensive reaction. "That's just something I've heard, Jeff. I'm sure Lita would say no if she didn't want to teach anybody else." Still feeling the need to calm down the younger man, Shawn continued. "Plus, I'm sure half the guys weren't actually serious about it."  
  
Jeff noticed Shawn's change in demeanour, from a playful manner to his now serious one. He realised that his reaction was slightly more aggressive than he meant it to be.   
  
"Yeah, man, I'm sorry. I just.. I don't know," he picked up his gym bag, throwing the strap over his shoulder. "I must be letting the nerves about tonight get to me. I didn't mean to snap."   
  
"Don't worry about it."  
  
Smiling appreciatively, Jeff made his way towards the door, stopping at the sound of Shawn's voice.  
  
"Seriously though kiddo - have fun tonight." Shawn's smile grew soft, and his eyes shone gently. "Not every guy gets to spend a nice, romantic night out with the woman of your dreams. Make sure you enjoy it."  
  
The younger man nodded slightly as he stepped out of the locker room. Walking down the arena corridors, Jeff raked a hand through his hair, letting out a soft sigh. Shawn's last words had a strange effect on him. He felt... kind of wrong. He couldn't define it, or put a finger on it, but he just felt wrong. His stomach was turning and twisting in a way that he'd never really felt before... as he made his way towards the arena parking lot, Jeff guessed it had to be due to nerves.   
  
After all, he was getting ready to go on a date with the woman of his dreams, right? The woman he had been chasing endlessly for months and months. They were going to a fancy restaurant for dinner, and then he'd impress her with his amazing dancing skills. He could see it now - he'd hold her in his arms, close and tight so that he could feel her heart beating against his own. He'd want to kiss her perfect lips so much, but he'd hold back. He'd spin her around the dance floor, moving so gracefully and smoothly, her fiery red hair twirling behind her...  
  
Wait a minute.  
  
Fiery?   
  
RED?  
  
Jeff paused in the cold parking lot, struck by the image that had formed in his head. Him dancing with Lita. Holding HER close, spinning HER around the dance floor, wanting to kiss HER lips... and he couldn't help but feel a warmth grow within him and consume his body as his heart began to beat faster, and slowly, an almost disbelieving smile appeared on his lips.  
  
All he could think about was Lita. How gorgeous she was, how smart she was, how talented she was, how loyal she was... his mind was filled with thoughts of her. Suddenly, he could think of nothing else besides the redhead. And as strange as this abrupt realisation was, it made him feel good. And happy.  
  
Resuming his pace, he stepped lively towards the car. His smile growing with each thought of her, he couldn't wait to get home and see her. To see her smile and her sparkling hazel eyes...  
  
A vibration in the pocket of his jeans stopped him from entering his rental car. He dug into the pocket, pulling out his mobile phone. He looked at the screen, and there was a text message waiting for him.  
  
Clicking on the button pad quickly, Jeff opened up the message.  
  
LOOKING FORWARD TO TONIGHT, SEXY.  
  
XOXO TRISH  
  
Placing the mobile back in his pocket, Jeff let out a groan. In the midst of his thoughts of Lita, he had completely forgotten that his date tonight was with Trish, not the redheaded diva. Opening the car door, he threw his bag on the passenger side seat. It was just his freaking luck, wasn't it?   
  
He finally gets what he's wanted for months... and then he realises he doesn't want it anymore.  
  
Tonight was going to be interesting. He knew that much.

............................

Stacy Keibler ran her fingers through her hair, stretching out on the couch. She kicked her long legs up in the air, yawning with content. A slight smile played of her soft lips as she thought about the relaxing night she'd had... not having to work or even be at the arena. A rare night off. And not only did she have the night off, but she got to spend it with a friend. Speaking of that friend...  
  
"Lita?" Stacy called out into the kitchen, peering around the hallway corner. "Did you need any help in there?"  
  
The redhead emerged from the room, two glasses in her hands. "Just grabbing us some refreshments." She handed one to Stacy, and sat beside her on the couch as the petite blonde shuffled over to make room.   
  
"Thanks for inviting me over for dinner tonight, Li. It's been great, just chilling out here with you all night. Not something we get to do very often."  
  
Lita shrugged, smiling at her friend. "Hey, both you and I got the night off. I couldn't just let that go to waste, now could I?"  
  
She sipped at her drink, while Stacy flipped the channels on the television. Staring into her glass, Lita's smile fell. She didn't have the heart to tell Stacy that the real reason she invited her over was merely as a tool for distraction. Lita needed somebody here with her tonight, and that somebody just happened to be Stacy. As long as she had another living, breathing human being to keep her company and forget that tonight was Jeff's date with Trish...  
  
It was no use. She couldn't forget. She would never be able to forget. Not when it came to Jeff.  
  
Stacy turned to her friend, her eyes bright. "Hey! Jeff and Trish are going out on their date tonight, aren't they?"  
  
Lita nearly threw up.  
  
She took in a breath, and returned a soft smile. "Yeah, I think that's tonight."  
  
"Oh, that's so adorable! Those two would make the sweetest couple, don't you think?" Stacy squealed girlishly. "Seriously though, it is nice to see. Jeff has been in love with Trish for so long now. Just chasing after her like a little lost puppy dog. It's great to see that now Trish has finally opened her eyes and seen what an amazing guy Jeff actually is."  
  
Chewing her lip intently, Lita cast her eyes down to the floor. She didn't want to stop Stacy, in fear that she would ask her what was wrong. But she couldn't listen to this much longer. She prayed she would stop gushing about the 'adorable couple' soon.  
  
"You know what? I think this has come at the perfect time for them both, too. Jeff's been after her for so long, so it's like he appreciates Trish completely. And I really think that Trish has reached that point in her life where she's had enough of all the pointless mind games that she plays with men, and just wants to settle down with a nice guy and -"  
  
Lita clenched her teeth, trying to control herself. "Trish is a player. She always has been, and she always will be. Don't try to kid yourself into thinking she's anything else, Stace."  
  
Eyebrows furrowing, Stacy sat back, shocked at her friend's harsh words. "Sorry, Lita. I just think maybe that Trish has changed, and with Jeff by her side -"  
  
"I don't want to hear anymore about how good Trish and Jeff are together. Please."  
  
Nodding, Stacy looked at Lita with narrow eyes. "Sure, sure." A slight pause. "I never knew you hated Trish so much."  
  
Lita sighed at Stacy's words. She didn't hate Trish. Really, she didn't. The only thing she had against the blonde diva was the fact that she held Jeff's heart in the palm of her hand, and didn't really seem to care that she did. It was something that Lita had always wanted, and Trish had it. She had it, and that's why Lita resented Trish. But she couldn't bring herself to tell Stacy that. So she kept her mouth shut, silently willing the conversation to move on.  
  
Sensing her uncomfortability, Stacy cleared her throat. "So, I bet you're at least happy now that you've finished teaching Jeff how to dance? I bet that was alot of easy fun." Her tone was playful, a smile on her face.  
  
A small smirk, and Lita's entire face grew lighter. "It was frustrating, sometimes. During the first couple of lessons, he pretty much crushed my toes by stepping on them all the time."  
  
Stacy let out a giggle at the image.  
  
"And he was very self concious about how he was doing. I kept trying to tell him that he was doing fine, and that he was improving but.. he was very hard on himself." Lita sighed, her eyes focusing on a blank spot on the far wall of the room. "But the last couple of lessons, he was wonderful. He moved like silk, so smooth and graceful, yet powerful when needed. He moved with the beat of the music, connecting with it so much that it was like the music was alive when he danced."   
  
Her gaze became unfocused, as her eyelids fluttered shut. Lita was lost in her own world as she spoke. "And he'd start to sing along with the songs we danced to, just little whispers falling from his lips as we moved. His arms were so strong, holding me close and I felt so safe and warm in his arms. I never wanted him to let me go. His fingers would trail over my skin and my breath would catch in my throat as I looked into his eyes and -"  
  
Suddenly, Lita became aware of what she was saying. She took in a sharp breath, and her eyes flew to Stacy. The small blonde diva was watching her intently, her eyes full of compassion, realisation, and sympathy.  
  
"Oh Lita."  
  
Lita threw her head into her hands, knowing that Stacy now knew why she didn't want to talk about Jeff and Trish together. She looked up at her, her hazel eyes pleading. "Oh God, Stace.. I don't know what to do! I can't stop thinking about him. A week ago, he was here, and we were practising. We were dancing, you know, whatever... and I was trying to tell him that he was doing really, really well. But he just wouldn't listen. So I forced him to dip me, and I don't know what it was, but when we came back together there was just SOMETHING there."  
  
"So maybe there is something more between you and Jeff?" Stacy questioned, her interest peaked.  
  
"I thought so.. maybe. But then he got that call from Trish, and he said yes right away." Dropping her head, Lita let out a harsh sigh. "It was stupid of me to think that he'd ever want to be with me, when he could be with her."  
  
Stacy rubbed her hand comfortingly down the redhead's back. "Lita... come on sweetie. Don't say that. Maybe, maybe Jeff just got scared about this new thing between the two of you."  
  
"Or maybe Trish is just all that he can see." Lita glanced up at Stacy, her eyes shining with sadness. "And that's that."  
  
A heavy silence hung over the room for a few minutes, until Stacy glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's almost six o'clock. I should be getting going soon."  
  
A sigh. "Six. Jeff will be picking Trish up in about an hour." She swiped away some hair that fell into her eyes. "Well, I hope they have a good time..."  
  
Stacy patted her friend's hand gently. "Did you want me to stay here a little longer? I can keep you company, if you want."  
  
Lita shook her head. "No, no. It's fine, really. You go. I know Test will be waiting for you."  
  
At the sound of her boyfriend's name, Stacy broke into a beaming grin. "Yeah. But I'll only go if I know you're going to be okay. I don't want you to be sitting here, wallowing in self pity."  
  
"I promise I -"   
  
Lita was interrupted by the shriek cry of the telephone. She reached over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi Li. How are you?"  
  
Her eyes flew to Stacy. She licked her lips anxiously, speaking into the phone. "I'm alright, Jeff. How are you?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay. Actually, I was, uh, I was wondering if I could drop 'round for a little while."  
  
Frowning, Lita replied. "Don't you have to get ready? Aren't you picking Trish up soon?"  
  
"I am, I am. And I'm all ready to go, really." A pause, and the sound of Jeff clearing his throat. "I just wanted to know if I could come have one more last minute lesson. I'm, um, kind of nervous still. And I just wanted to brush up on a few things before it's too late."  
  
"Well, I don't know. Stacy's here at the moment and..."  
  
"Oh, well, if you're busy.. then don't worry about it..."  
  
"No, no. Sorry, it's fine. Of course you can come over. I'll be here."  
  
"Thanks Li. You're an angel."  
  
A soft smile crept onto her lips at the compliment. "I'll see you soon, Jeff."  
  
"Be there soon."  
  
She hung up the phone, and stared at it for a moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement coming from where Stacy was sitting. She turned to her friend slowly. "What?"  
  
"HELLO! A bit of detail sure would be nice! What's going on? Is he coming over?"  
  
Nodding, Lita ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, he is. For one final lesson before the date."  
  
Stacy's eyes shone as she smiled at Lita, her hands open in excitement. "Lita! It's perfect!"  
  
"What is?"  
  
"This! It's your chance to say something to him!" She danced around the lounge room in front of her friend, squealing highly. "You can tell him that you felt something between you two, and that you adore him, and that you're the one he should be with! It's perfect!"  
  
"I can't say anything like that!" Lita said quickly, shaking her head. "I can't!"  
  
Stacy nodded at her frantically. "Yes you can!"  
  
Lita paused, in thought. Then she locked eyes with Stacy, her mouth agape at her sudden realisation. "Oh God!"  
  
"What?"  
  
A horrified look swept onto the redheaded diva's face. "That means he's going to be all dressed up and looking good when he gets here, doesn't it?" 


End file.
